Exclusive: Divya Fofani on Overcoming Challenges, Big Dreams, and the Dharavi Music Festival

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and we often find ourselves spending a lot of time scrolling through various social media handles and watching reels. Through the platform's algorithm, we sometimes come across creators who are doing an exceptional job. One such creator is Divya Fofani, who is not just popular for his content but also for the kindness he spreads and the causes he advocates for. Recently, Divya organized a music festival in Mumbai's largest slum, Dharavi, which demonstrated how content can bring about meaningful changes in people's lives.

About the Traffic Jam Music Festival:

Divya organized the 'Traffic Jam' Music Festival, which featured some of Mumbai's biggest artists, such as MC Altaf, 7 Bantai'z, Dj Shaan, Vasu Kainath, and Iqlipse Nova. The festival aimed to spread joy and promote unity, and what made it stand out was its philanthropic nature. All the proceeds raised from the festival were used to provide essential stationery kits to children living in Dharavi.

In an interview with WhosThat360, Divya talks about the inspiration behind his videos and much more.

First of all, Divya, congratulations on using your platform for such a brilliant cause. I want to ask you, what inspires you to do the amazing work you are doing through your social media?

I feel I am just the medium to do this - I consider myself extremely lucky that God chose and gave me the power to execute these beautiful projects. I always feel I want to do something larger than life and do something impactful. The most important thing is that I acknowledge my dreams and try to find a way to execute them.

You also made a difference in the lives of an underprivileged family living in a small chawl during Ganpati Visarjan. What were the feelings like?

Again, I feel God chose me as the medium to do this. That happened so quickly, and seeing the happiness on the family's faces meant the world to me. Since I was a kid, I always wanted to get Bappa home, and I guess this was the best way to do so.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Divya Fofani (@divyafofanii)

How do you come up with such amazing concepts? Take us through your process.

I let my inner child be alive. Many people consider me 'delusional' when I throw these ideas at them, because practically speaking, they are too big and tough to execute. I acknowledge my big vision and backtrack the entire process starting from ground 0 and doing one thing at a time. Value the micro-level stuff to get a solid macro picture.

Now, coming to your recent music festival, what was the thought behind organizing the 'Traffic Jam' Music Festival in Dharavi, Mumbai's largest slum?

To be honest, it all started with the idea of me trying to learn DJing in 30 days and perform at a special venue like Dharavi. In no time, the purpose of the project became larger than life and larger than just me trying to be a DJ. Music, DJ, and music festivals have been my calling. I feel the happiest with Music and at music festivals. So I wanted to have my little music festival, but as time passed, it became a large project for the community of Dharavi, including artists like MC Altaf, DJ Shaan, Vasu Kainth, 7BANTAIZ, and Iqlipse Nova.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Divya Fofani (@divyafofanii)

It must have been difficult for sure, so what challenges did you face while organizing an event of this scale in Dharavi, and how did you overcome them?

This journey has just been full of roadblocks. For a 21-year-old boy to host a music festival from nothing isn't a joke. Right from lights, sound, artists, venue, and permissions - we have faced problems in everything. This has been a huge, huge learning curve for me - I have disciplined myself more and not taken things for granted. Challenges never stopped because Essentially, we were supposed to do 'Traffic Jam' on 16th Feb. But just before one day of the festival, we had to cancel it. We didn't give up; we kept our heads high and did the music festival in just one week.

How do you see events like the 'Traffic Jam' Music Festival contributing to the empowerment and upliftment of communities like Dharavi?

Events like Traffic Jam essentially send a message to the community and the kids that if you can dream it, you can do it. Music is a thing that bonds people. It was a beautiful scene because the kids & the community of Dharavi could witness their favourite artists perform live. We brought them to their area. It spreads a message of having a vision and equality as well.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Divya Fofani (@divyafofanii)

How did the community of Dharavi respond to the festival, both during the event and afterwards?

During the event - the kids and the community were very happy. Seeing them dance to the beats of the artists was a visual that wouldn't get out of my mind. They genuinely enjoyed it a lot. Even after the event too, they were really happy with the donation drive. We could see the kids genuinely smiling from their eyes.

Tell us more about your journey. When did you start creating content, and what was the moment that made you feel like this is exactly what you want to do?

Three years back, seeing creators like Bhuvan Bam, Ashish Chanchlani, Mr. Beast, and Airrack always motivated me that I can do something larger than life.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Divya Fofani (@divyafofanii)

Do you receive hate comments? How do you deal with them?

The whole world isn't going to love you. Ignorance is bliss; don't take it to your head.

Your message to aspiring creators, something that helped you and they can take inspiration from?

The one message I would like to share with all aspiring creators is- If you can dream about it, you can do it.